Subway Stations To Reopen On Time: MTA

By Liz Goff

Officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) say they expect makeovers at the 36th Avenue (Washington Avenue) and 30th Avenue (Grand Avenue) N/W elevated subway stations in Long Island City and Astoria to be completed on schedule – good news for dozens of straphangers displaced since last fall.

The two stations, closed in October as part of a $150 million overhaul of four local stations, are expected to reopen in July. The 39th Avenue (BeeBee Avenue) and the Broadway-Astoria stations are scheduled to close from July through January 2019 for almost identical makeovers, according to MTA officials.

MTA officials said the agency’s recent decision to roll back on overhauls at city subway stations would not affect work in progress on the 36th and 30th Avenue stations. Cost of the makeover at the two stations spiked when crews working on structural repairs discovered conditions that called for immediate repair – including corroded steel and cracked and corroding concrete on stanchions that hold up the elevated lines, an MTA spokesperson said.

Crews replaced steel, concrete, and platforms, the spokesperson said. “All things that are necessary to correct and maintain structural safety at the two stations.”

Crews have been working feverishly to complete repairs on the two stations, even working throughout the Memorial Day weekend to complete technological upgrades including the addition of Wi-Fi “hotspots,” USB ports, digital screens and countdown clocks, staircases and replacement of exterior panels.

The makeovers also include rehabilitated station entrances, granite floors in station mezzanines, glass and wire screens on platforms to help block wind, new artwork, new benches and trashcans.